(credit: NASA)
Antarctic ice shelves—thick sheets of ice floating on the ocean surface at the coastline—have thinned and retreated dramatically in recent decades. The abrupt collapse of several shelves along the Antarctic Peninsula has increased concern over the state of the remaining ones. These shelves help hold back large inland glaciers, and this plays a role in moderating sea level rise.
To try to understand more about the possible fate of the remaining ice shelves, scientists explored whether these earlier collapse events could predict the future elsewhere in Antarctica.
The science behind an ice shelf collapse
Ice shelf collapse is a gradual process driven by a linked chain of events. Atmospheric warming and increased melting expand the presence of meltwater ponds—depressions in the ice filled with standing water. Unlike ice, which reflects most sunlight, meltwater absorbs it. Changes in the coverage of meltwater influence the ratio of sunlight reflected from the surface to sunlight falling on the surface (the albedo).
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